Actions from Cristian GheorghiuMovable Type Pro 4.382012-07-05T01:00:00Zhttp://www.kcet.org/user/profile/pviles/feed/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=feed&_type=actions&username=cristiangheorghiuPosted Cristian "SMEAR" Gheorghiu: My SoCal Art History to Artboundtag:www.kcet.org,2011:/arts/artbound//1834.475502012-07-05T08:00:00Z2012-07-20T17:50:17ZTo trace the trajectory of Southern California art, Artbound is creating a collective timeline comprised of the decisive events that shaped artists' creative development. Today, we talk to Los Angeles artist Cristian "SMEAR" Gheorghiu.Cristian Gheorghiuhttp://www.kcet.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1834&id=6753The history of art in Southern California isn't linear; it is a fluid, multi-angled continuum made from the personal experiences of many artists from myriad backgrounds. So to trace the trajectory of Southern California art, Artbound is creating a collective timeline comprised of the decisive events that shaped artists' creative development. We hope that in the space between these personal histories, an impressionistic view of Southern California's art history will come into focus.

The headlines that it garnered and the amount of airtime it received on the evening news really captured the imagination of a lot of the youth in Los Angeles, giving them that nudge to pick up the spray can and try to make a name for themselves on the streets.

2. The publication of Martha Cooper's seminal graff book Subway Art in 1984

The book really lit the fuse to the graffiti movement. It was a template that a lot of early LA writers referred to. It was an invaluable resource where one could see loads of graff and graff styles before the internet gave everybody access to tons of graffiti images.

Everybody seems to think that graffiti writing started in Philadelphia/ New York in the late 60s and early 70s. But surprise! Chicano gang graffiti, or cholo writing, has been adorning the walls of Los Angeles barrios since at least the 1940s. Even before the advent of spray paint. It took the east coast kids decades to catch up.

Chaz was stenciling his skull figure, Señor Suerte, in the 1970s long before Blek le Rat used the method in the 80s and way before Banksy started to stencil after seeing Blek le Rat's work. He is a big influence on a lot of Los Angeles artists.

This exhibit has a major influence on me personally...it helped me make the leap from just marking up the streets to actually picking up the brushes and hitting the canvas. The exhibit floored me. I saw it six times. I wish it was a permanent exhibit.

Art in the Streets at MOCA-LA | Image courtesy of Flickr user fresh888.

9. The graffiti artist Ayer from the KOG and LTS crews

His brazen way of getting risky spots in the mid to late 1990s and his amazing graffiti style forever changed the landscape of Los Angeles graffiti. His influence is immense! So sad that he was taken away from us at such a young age.

This crew was another personal influence. They had all the bases covered, they had guys that tagged on everything like Oiler and Dcline. But they also had amazing piecers like Vyal and Man One, who are both still active and are even more amazing now! The 1990s belonged to the COI crew. Suet from COI got me into graffiti, and gave me the name SMEAR. Man One opened the first street art gallery (Crewest gallery) in the city of Los Angeles 10 years ago...and it is still going strong.